The Grizzlies jumped out of the gates strong this season, winning three of their first four games and looking like they’d return to the playoffs.

But after losing to league rivals Foothill, San Ramon Valley and Amador Valley down the stretch, the Grizzlies fell short of earning an NCS playoff berth.

Cal (2-4 EBAL, 5-5 overall) finished the season on a high note by beating Granada, 21-13, last Friday. The victory allowed this year’s team to be the ninth team in school history to earn at least five wins. The seniors on the team have the most wins in two seasons than any others in years past

“The kids showed up ready to work everyday and never stopped believing in themselves,” said coach Tony Sanchez.

The Grizzlies carried a heavy load this season trying to be at the top of what is arguably the best league in NCS for football, without seniors Scott L. Miller and Jeff Meads, and juniors Chris Ambler and Alex Spalliero.

“We knew the season was going to be tough without them, but we had to focus on the task at hand and not what we had lost,” said senior defensive end Kyle Quirk.

The Grizzlies could have snuck into the playoffs with a 3-3 record in EBAL, but Amador Valley snatched away any last chance the Grizzlies had with its 48-28 victory on Nov. 3 at Cal High.

Amador set the tone in the game by piling up 449 yards of offense by recovering a surprise on side kick to start the game. The Dons jumped out to a 28-7 lead and took that score into the locker room at halftime.

The Grizzlies proved that they were down but not out by scoring three touchdowns in the second half.

Senior running back Brandon Thompson finished the game with 188 yards on 15 carries.

Sanchez has no excuses for not making NCS. He said the kids worked hard and played well, especially the seniors who did not play last year.

As for next year, the Grizzlies will have more experience with the return of 18 players who started on offense and defense this season.

Cal will have a lot of faith in junior quarterback Nick Spalliero, who made a name for himself in the league this season.

“We all knew he (Nick) would be good, but we didn’t know he would be great,” said Sanchez.

The Grizzlies were the victims of the Wolves eighth win in a row as they lost 38-12, Oct. 27, at SRV.

It looked like the Grizzlies may have a chance at an upset going into halftime trailing 7-6 with all the momentum. Things changed at the beginning of the second half when Cal fumbled a San Ramon kickoff, which lead to an SRV touchdown. San Ramon scored again on a 79- yard pass on their next possession giving them a 17-6 lead.

Despite not making it to NCS the Grizzlies looked outstanding during their homecoming game, Oct. 20, as they plowed over Wilson Prep for a 49-16 victory.

Thompson had four touchdowns on 123 yards rushing in the first half. In the second half, Rosato broke free for a 90-yard touchdown run after a Thompson interception.

Freshmen win league

The freshmen footbal team won the EBAL championship with a perfect 6-0 record, 9-1 overall.

The nine wins were the most for a football team in school history. The title also marked the first one in school history for the freshmen.

The Grizzlies earned the title by beating previously undefeated Amador Valley, 19-14, on Nov. 3. Cal trailed 14-7 at the half and were underdogs to an Amador team that had dominated the league.

The JV team finished third in league at 4-2, 8-2 overall, marking the first time in school history that no team had a losing record overall.